By Nkanyiso
Moyo IT
WAS the sort of window dressing that made those in the know cringe at
the mere fact that they attempted it.

Peter
Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari were first out onto the hallowed turf of
Rufaro Stadium -- the home of Zimbabwean football -- ahead of the Morocco
game on Sunday.

For
the Warriors faithful assembled to watch a salvage mission, the sight
of Zimbabwe's most exciting footballing talent in history -- albeit
on the decline -- striding the turf alongside a player who embodies
the future drew the wildest of cheers.

Until
recently, Mamelodi Sundowns striker Ndlovu -- who notched a century
of caps for the Warriors in the 1-1 draw on Sunday -- was the national
team skipper. He gave way to Mwaruwari, who signed for Portsmouth in
England just over a year ago.

The
two-men-show put up by Ndlovu and Mwaruwari before kick off on Sunday
was a choreographed plot to lay the foundations for an impending whitewash
by the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) and the Warriors technical
department.

Just
three days prior, the two players had to be prized apart after a late
night fist fight. Gilbert Mushangazhike was first at Room 105, Peter
Ndlovu's room at Harare's Cresta Lodge.

Mushangazhike
found the intruding Mwaruwari down, overpowered by Ndlovu. Bits of furniture
had been destroyed, and according to one report, windows broken.

As
reported here (read), Mwaruwari and
Ndlovu's feud goes back four years. The two players, until their plastic
show of unity before kick off on Sunday, rarely conversed between them.

A
story is told how at the African Cup of Nations in Egypt last year,
Ndlovu was greeted by Mwaruwari using his nickname 'Zongo' -- apparently
given to him by Benjamin Nkonjera -- but Ndlovu simply ignored him and
walked away.

The
central issue to the fight between the two players is women. Peter Ndlovu
slept with Mwaruwari's girlfriend, then later made advances towards
his wife.

Adding
his own chapter that turns the whole sordid affair into a thrilling
soap, Mwaruwari retaliated by trying to hook up with Ndlovu's wife,
South African singer Sharon Dee.

Details
of the players' bed hopping would have passed for tabloid title tattle
but for the fact that this fight involved two very senior players in
the middle of preparations for a key match whose outcome had significant
implications on the country's collective dream of making it to the African
Cup of Nations next year.

In
any other country, the two players would have been sent home. In fact,
it is fair to argue that had it been Vusa Nyoni and Evans Gwekwerere
involved in such a fight, Zifa would have shown little hesitation to
send the players home.

But
the players involved here are the all powerful figures of Peter Ndlovu
and Benjani Mwaruwari who earn major bucks in foreign leagues. They
could pay the Zifa and Warriors team's salaries for a whole year on
a fraction of their earnings, if they chose.

Zifa
chairman, Wellington Nyatanga, indicated on Monday that the two players
would be disciplined. But there is a condition.

"We
are awaiting a report from the technical team on the issue because I
am also in the dark about the story, I am just hearing it from rumours,"
Nyatanga said.

"If
it is proved to be true, then disciplinary action will be taken against
the two players."

We
know what that means. If you are still not sure, Charles Mhlauri's comments
will put you in the picture.

The
Warriors coach told New Zimbabwe.com Monday: "Confrontations between
players are common. It is not the first or last of its kind. You will
always have players arguing, it's not new."

Mhlauri
revealed that he called both players after the bust-up for a meeting.

He
added: "The players
professed ignorance (of the fight). If you are a coach, what do you
do? Try to prove they are lying? If the players shake hands, hug each
other and tell you there is nothing, what do you do?

"I think this
has been overblown to please certain sectors. You saw when the players
went onto the pitch, they got a standing ovation. People were asking
me to play Peter, and as a coach, that’s all I want."

For a while, Mhlauri
has been grappling with a siege mentality. Instead of taking stern action
against Mwaruwari and Ndlovu, he prefers to look the other way. In fact,
while defending his lack of interest in the fight, he was keen to raise
his own case as a victim.

He stated: "I
think the loss to Malawi was improperly handled (by the media). People
were given the impression that we had never lost to Malawi, that it
was unusual and a tragedy.

"The reality
is that we have only beaten Malawi just once in over 10 meetings since
independence. You then ask the question 'what's different now to spark
this outrage?', and you discover it's the coach that changed."

There you have it
Mr Nyatanga. Your technical team which you pin so much hope on will
hear no evil and see no evil.